Page 75 of Asher's Assignment

Esther hugged her back, but remained silent. She didn’t trust herself to speak without descending into a blubbery mess again.

Edie left, and Esther walked down the hall to the bathroom. She had to keep her gaze on the mirror and not look at the vanity. Asher’s toothbrush, deodorant, and razor decorated the countertop.

Teeth clenched, she wet a washcloth and pressed it to her face, letting the coolness sink in and soothe her red, puffy eyes. Once she felt semi-presentable, she hung the cloth on the towel bar to dry and went downstairs.

Annabeth handed her a cup of tea as she sat down. “It’s herbal,” she said. “I thought you might like it to calm your thoughts.”

“Thank you.” Esther took it with a soft smile.

“Okay, are we ready?” Audra sat down and picked up the television remote. When no one objected, she switched on the TV, then connected her computer to the larger screen. The Zoom window popped up, Dean’s name in the middle of it as the call connected. A moment later, Margot’s face appeared.

“Margot?” Annabeth frowned at the TV. “Where’s Dean?”

“Puking in the bathroom. You all owe me. Big time. I am on my own with two wild two-year-olds and five grown men who are in the midst of the flu. Plus, the clinic build hasn’t stopped just because everyone’s sick. Please tell me you’re making headway there and can come home soon?”

“Sort of,” Annabeth said. “We need Dean to do some research, but it sounds like it might be better if we try on our own.”

“Are you at Max’s house?” Brooke leaned closer, peering at the screen.

“Yes. It was easier to have everyone together, so I could keep an eye on them, and his house is the biggest. The girls have already had it, so it doesn’t matter if they’re exposed.”

“What about you?” Edie asked.

“I’m a doctor. My immune system is as hardy as they come. What does ‘sort of’ mean, Beth?”

“We have some leads,” Audra said. “But don’t worry about?—”

“Hey, ladies.” Ford wandered into the room, looking like he’d gone five rounds with a championship fighter and sounding like he’d spent the night before screaming at a concert.

Brooke gasped when she caught sight of her husband. Esther saw her eyes widen.

“Oh, honey. You look terrible.”

“I don’t feel any better. Fill me in. What have you all found out?”

“I’d like to know too.” Max walked in, looking and sounding much like Ford.

“Should we wait for the others?” Edie asked, arching an eyebrow.

“No.” Ford waved a hand, then broke off to cough. “Sam and Jordan are sleeping. Dean’s still in the bathroom. Talk before we pass out.”

Margot aimed a glare at the men, focusing the majority of it on Max as he sat down next to her. “You should be in bed.”

“I’m fine. I need to hear what they have to say.”

“Right, let’s dig in, shall we?” Audra said.

Esther was thankful the former spy didn’t want to waste time. She was starting to feel like Edie, now that she’d had a good cry. The determination to find Asher and Leah was pushing away her urge to curl up and sob again.

“We’re good,” Max said. “Go.”

“So, Esther uncovered Connie’s true identity with the help of a former colleague of mine,” Audra began. “Her name is Lindy Nieman. Her parents were murdered almost eleven years ago by her former boyfriend—Leah’s father. All of this is verified. We just returned from talking to Connie. We have two theories. The first is that it’s him, and Asher was just in the way. The second is that it’s someone stalking Esther and Leah was taken as an incentive for Esther to cooperate.”

“I don’t like that one,” Max said, then coughed. “It leans more toward Asher being dead.”

“Not just that,” Ford said. “It’s a stretch to think someone would kidnap a child to get to Esther. My money’s on the dad.”

“Which is where we’re focusing for now,” Edie said. “We wanted Dean to run some background on him. But, Audra, maybe we can get your friend to do that instead?”

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